Chapter 3: Fat and Alone

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   I looked into the mirror later that night. What story should I tell Mikey? That I fell and my eye just happened to hit the corner of a table? That this shiner is from a fight where I defended an old lady from a pack of robbers? A string snapped from my guitar and whacked my eye? I looked down into the sink and listened to my mother's crying in the next room. Crying from the guilt of her only child getting hurt by the man she once loved. From the pain he inflicted on her. I felt my anger grow. I hated that man. I always have. I debated on staying to make sure nothing else happened or leaving and sleeping at Mikey's. I chose the second option.
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   "Damn Frank, where did that black eye come from?"

   "You see, a dragon came in through my fireplace, it was pretty dangerous. I had to fight him off to protect my mother."

   "Wow. You suck at lying."

   "It sounds cooler than 'Well I'm a clumsy shit and hit my eye on the corner of a table as I tripped over it.' "

   "True. Well my pajamas are in my dresser. Grab whatever pair you want."

   I walked to his dresser and pulled it open. I saw red plaid, Batman, Spider-Man, and some cartoon character that should've stayed in the newspaper where no one would ever see it. I grabbed the Spider-Man pair and put them on.

   "Oh my god, you look like a child!"

   "Don't even go there."

   "Are you a legal Dwarf?"

   "I'm not that short!"

   I looked down at the pants, the bottom swallowed up my feet and hugged the floor, the waist loosely hung from my hips. Mikey kept giggling. Fuck you Mikey.

   "You're so small. That's great. Wow."

   I rolled my eyes and sat on his bed.

   "So what now, ass?"

   "I thought I was a wimp? And I'm not sure. Sleep?"

   "You're a wimpy ass. And I'm not tired."

   That was a total lie. I'm so freaking tired. But I won't show it. I'm not going to dream about her tonight. I fought back the urge to yawn.

   "What about video games?"

    "Now that, I like." I said with a smile.
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   Blood made out of pixels flashed across the screen for the 18th time. I won this round of Mortal Kombat. Mainly because Mikey passed out on the couch in the middle of it. Gerard walked in the front door. He put the keys in the dish on top of a table on the way in. It's weird, night time seemed to always intensify noises. I kept my head down to avoid startling him. He must've noticed the tv because he came over and turned it off. He screamed for 0.2 seconds after seeing me but quickly covered his mouth.

   "Jesus Frank, you scared me. I didn't know you were staying here. Didn't I drop you off at your house earlier?"

   "Yeah but um.. Mikey felt like playing video games so I came back."

   "What happened to your eye?"

   Do I dare tell the dragon story?

   "I tripped over my coffee table, and my eye happened to hit the corner. No biggie."

   He looked at me with suspicion. It's like he saw right through me and I suddenly felt very exposed. I just looked at him until he felt too uncomfortable to keep staring at me.

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